Whether you’re a healthcare practice needing toxicology information on a patient or an employer ensuring a drug-free workplace, oral drug screening is a viable testing option that can be quickly and conveniently completed at your location. You can then send the samples to the professionals at TOPLAB®, who will provide prompt, accurate results about your patients’ or employees’ drug or prescription use. We explain the process further here.
What Is Oral Drug Screening?
In an oral drug screening, the subject’s saliva is collected with a sterile swab, which is wedged between the lower jaw and cheek for roughly three minutes. This enables the swab to fully absorb the saliva, and the specimen is then placed in a sterile tube filled for testing. Oral drug screenings can detect a wide range of substances, including:
- Marijuana
- Cocaine
- Fentanyl
- Oxycodone
- Opiates
- Methadone
- Ecstasy
- Alcohol
Particularly, many employers prefer this method because they can directly observe the employee as the test is administered, resulting in fewer cases of adulterated specimens.
The On-Site Screening Process with TOPLAB®
TOPLAB®’s oral fluid collection device is nationally recognized as an innovative, reliable drug screening format. The collection of saliva is fast and easy. Just follow these steps:
- Before beginning, check the expiration date on the test’s packaging, and ensure the subject has not consumed any food or beverages for 10 minutes prior to saliva collection.
- Instruct the subject to peel open the package and remove the saliva collector. They should be advised to keep the tip of the device pointing down.
- Have the subject position the saliva collector under their tongue, close their mouth, and keep their head down to promote saliva flow. They should not chew on the collector.
- The subject should remove the device after the indicator turns blue or when 10 minutes have passed.
- Instruct the subject to hold the transport tube in an upright position and uncap it by pushing it up with their thumb(s).
- The subject should then insert the collector into the uncapped tube and replace the cap, ensuring the tip of the device is pointing up.
- Have the subject firmly snap the cap back onto the transport tube and place the center of the specimen seal on the top of the tube.
- Complete all necessary paperwork before sending the sample to TOPLAB® or dropping it off at our facility in New Jersey.
Because of the way certain drugs are processed by the body and other factors, subjects may have a substance in their system that remains detectable for anywhere from five to 48 hours after use. Therefore, an oral drug screening should be administered as soon as possible, and lab results are generally available within days.
Learn More about Oral Drug Screening with TOPLAB®
At TOPLAB®, our employee and prescription drug screening services, as well as our other types of testing, are available throughout New Jersey and nationwide in a convenient, oral format that’s easy to administer, which is not something many testing laboratories can offer. For more information on administering oral drug screenings at your location, contact us today.